Waste fluid containing mercury can pollute the air, streams, bodies of water and groundwater with unacceptable levels of mercury when discharged without treatment or without removal of mercury to obtain acceptable levels. Mercury pollution in the environment is thought to result in large part from mercury emissions in flue gases from coal fired power plants, taconite indurating plants, blast furnaces, sinter plants, coking ovens, bee hive charcoal ovens, calcining furnaces, cupula furnaces, smelters, and various other industrial and municipal furnaces and incinerators that combust coal or heat treat various inputs. The combustion and/or heat treatments are believed to volatilize mercury that is otherwise contained in one or more of the inputs to the high temperature processes. Once emitted in flue gases, airborne mercury is deposited into bodies of water, streams and groundwater via precipitation. The emissions of flue gases with mercury contribute to mercury deposition with precipitation great distances from the air emission source thus making the mercury removal a global concern. Mercury contamination of water in the environment results in the entry of mercury contamination into the food chain, where it can become concentrated to dangerous levels. The effective removal of mercury from these types of flue gases is believed to be critical to reducing the mercury content in aquatic life including fish so that fish can be safely eaten without danger to the animal or human consuming the fish. The bioaccumulative nature of mercury through the food chain in aquatic systems requires mercury removal from both air and water down to very low concentrations.
Mercury contamination can also enter the environment via waste water discharge from industrial and/or municipal plants. Given the increasing attention that is being given to reducing mercury pollution by multiple governmental bodies, and more rigorous permitting requirements that are being established to minimize impact of mercury on the environment when the waste fluid is discharged, the effective removal of mercury from waste fluid is becoming increasingly necessary for various manufacturing processes to meet these regulations. There is a great need for improved systems for removing mercury from fluids, including liquid and gaseous fluid streams. The present invention addresses this need.